


Men of the North

by Kissa



Category: Thor - Fandom, hiddlesworth - Fandom
Genre: AU, Ancient Rome, F/M, Hiddlesworth, M/M, Rome - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-28
Updated: 2013-08-05
Packaged: 2017-12-21 16:14:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/902277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kissa/pseuds/Kissa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A newly married young woman chooses a rather unconventional offering to her new husband. Together, they are about to discover new depths to their love. A Hiddlesworth/reader AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by a confession from TitillatingTomTales. 
> 
> The Roman names in the story are real, these people once existed, I am just taking liberties with the events and details.  
> The year is 25 bC. Octavian Augustus has been the Emperor of Rome for 2 years and Lucius Valerius Thurinus (Chris) is his closest friend and general. He marries the daughter of Titus Flavius Sabinus, another general. Her name changes, according to the Roman civil law, to Flavia Valeria. Together, they buy a slave called Wynn (Tom), who reveals himself to be more useful than they thought. 
> 
> Most of the Latin terms and Roman customs are explained in the story. I tried to stray away from hollywoodian fiction and to get as close to the reality depicted in Ancient Roman texts. 
> 
> Valerius means “brave”;  
> Lucius means “shiny”;  
> Flavius and Flavia are derived from the adjective flavus, meaning golden or blond;  
> Wynn means "fair".
> 
> "Aquae et ignis communicatio" (the transfer of water and fire) and "dextrarum iunctio" (the joining of right hands) are the two main rituals of a Roman wedding. Observe the lack of bloody and humiliating customs. 
> 
> Ancient Romans did not think of sexuality in the same terms as we do, and it was perfectly normal for adult, free or aristocratic men to have male concubines as long as they were not a freeborn Roman. 
> 
> Domina means mistress.  
> Cubiculum is the bedroom.  
> The atrium is the area of the house where guests are received.  
> Domus means house.  
> Castitas does not refer to virginity, but to the person’s overall reputation, regardless of their sexual status.  
> “Ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia.” (Wherever you will be, I will be as well.) - The ceremonial Roman marriage vow. Gaius and Gaia are generic names, kinda like John and Johanna.  
> Vestals were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. They took an oath to maintain their virginity when they became priestesses.  
> The thermae were public baths built around warm water springs, a place as important as the forum in the Roman world. Here, business and politics were discussed, and gossip and romantic pursuits took place as well.

  
  
The sun sets beyond the gates of our city, in the distance, taking with it the last remains of my childhood. My father, the great general Titus Flavius Sabinus is entertaining a very special guest this evening. His fellow general, decorated hero and confidant to our Imperator, Lucius Valerius Thurinus, has seen me at the market, on my way back from the public baths, and now he is a guest in my father’s house, formally asking for my hand in marriage.

Father has spoken to me about this in advance and he has advised me to accept. He is a good father and he loves me dearly, therefore I trust his reasoning and his intuition. As a seasoned warrior and victor over many enemies, he knows how to read people. Lucius Valerius is covered in glory, even though he is only 30 years old. He is one of Octavianus Augustus’ closest friends and his most trusted general. His fortune and influence know no bounds and his good name is without a stain. That he has not consorted with anyone yet is surprising, but I will refrain from deciding on a reason until I’ve seen him stand before me. Perhaps, when not sitting astride a war horse, he is of risible height. Or maybe Phoebus and Venus have not smiled upon him and have burdened him with an unsightly appearance.

I know the marriage will take place. My father trusts him and the estate I stand to inherit will be safe if it is joined to the one Lucius Valerius possesses.

The house servants are bringing lavender wine to the atrium, which means it will soon be time for me to go meet my future husband.

My servants are finishing my hairdo and helping me dress. Once the sandals are in place, I make my way to the atrium and wait to be announced. As I wait, I realize my childhood is over; womanhood begins, at the side of a man I must persuade myself to accept no matter what.

I step into the vast space and greet my father and his honoured guest. He is wearing the toga picta, the celebratory garment of a victorious general. What surprises me the most is his hair, worn loosely and long like a woman’s, with parts of it braided at the back, the way Gauls wear their hair. He is a very handsome man, with a few barely visible creases on his forehead and an enduring frown. His eyes are gentle and blue and he does not strike me as a violent or greedy man, although he is a general. I do not dare to look at his body as our eyes make contact, but I am also given little time because he smiles and his whole face lights up.

I was told Lucius Valerius is a self-made man, and this shows in his appearance. He looks nothing like other Roman men. His skin is fair and his hair, blond. He is tall and muscular like the statues of Phoebus or perhaps even more and though his hands are used to the dagger, the spear and the sword, they are beautiful and expressive like a dancer’s. I shall not have to persuade myself to like my husband, I decide.

We sit together and drink the wine the servants brought, Lucius Valerius unable to take his eyes off of me. He drinks with moderation and tells my father he must go home and inspect if his household is ready to receive the new domina. From that, I understand, the ceremonies will begin this very night.

Once Lucius Valerius has left, my father bids me to sit with him, asking me what I think of his new son-in-law. I answer with wise reserve, saying that while the outer appearance is that of a god, the man can be arrogant and petty at the core. “Then it will be your mission to sway him towards more virtuous ways. Look at your mother and me. She has been leading our house with an iron fist for as long as she lived. The woman must know how to steer her battle chariot; the man is merely the horse pulling it.” Father said.

Mother died two years ago. Had she still been alive, I would probably be married off to one of her suspicious and ill-famed friends who rob trade ships at sea. I was relieved to see that father went against her will and chose a husband more suitable for me than I could have wished for.

Father kisses my forehead and stands. “You should retreat and gather your thoughts. I know you are perhaps afraid of what lies ahead, but I can promise you, married life does have wonderful sides to it. Valerius is not a debauched man; he will love you and treat you like a queen, if you allow him.”

With these final wise words, my father retreats to his cubiculum. He too needs to change his clothing for the night, when I will be delivered to my husband’s home in a procession with various symbolic gifts. I will be carrying a torch lit from my hearth and a chalice of water from our well; at my new home, I shall light the torches from my fire and spill my water into my husband’s well. My father will tie a red ribbon around our joint right hands and it will be done.

***

Mere hours later, I am a new person. I am an adult Roman citizen. I am Flavia Valeria now, and domina to a household of two hundred slaves.

Once the ceremony was over, everyone around us wished us their best and retreated, leaving us alone.

I gazed upon our linked hands; my small one against Lucius’ bigger hand, my soft arm resting on his muscled one.

“Ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia.” I said, sealing our wedding pact. Lucius then cut the binding around our hands with his dagger and placed it in a small obsidian box.

I always appreciated our people’s customs. Our laws are tailored to suit the citizens, not to oppress them. We care about our good names and our castitas enough to strive towards maintaining them, but not excessively enough to cause conflicts in their name. And though the Greeks hold themselves as worthier in the eyes of the gods than us, in Rome, a woman is a man’s equal and has the same powers in the eyes of the law. A poor man can earn himself a fortune and the slave can earn himself his freedom.

The next morning, we will offer a generous gift as a couple and I already have an idea for it. But first, I hope Lucius will want to consummate our union. Many high-ranking Roman men only marry for legal purposes, to extend their estate and I hope this is not the case, for I would very much like him to be the one to touches me for the first time. How sad it would be if I have to find solace in the arms of slaves while he seeks his pleasure with boys or older, more skilled women.

“I hope your new home pleases you. Forgive me if it is not as lavish as it should be. I have lived alone for a long time and there has not been a woman’s touch to brighten up these walls.” He spoke. “I shall undress first.”

I gasp at his straightforward words, but remind myself he was a leader of many men. He is only used to speaking in laconic sentences and he must be direct.

I remove the toga, the ornate outer garment, then help him take off the soft white undershirt. Now, even though I am a virgin, I am not a vestal, and I have seen naked men so far - at the thermae, at the gymnasium, in the arena; though none like him.

He really does have the body of a god, his muscles oiled with rich essences from the far East of our Empire. His manhood lays resting along his thigh, but even in the cool air of the night, it is larger than any I have seen so far, and beautifully shaped. For the first time in my life, I feel the stirrings of desire for a man, and it starts in the lower part of my belly, like a fist clenching and releasing around my insides and sending delicious new sensations all through my body.

I remove my layers slowly, unable to take my eyes off him. Lucius is watching me interestedly, biting his lips when I stand before him, completely nude.

“No matter what the others say or claim, know this, Flavia Valeria. We are bound to each other in front of the gods and you are the domina of my home, all my belongings, my thoughts and my heart. You are my equal in all things, public and private. You never have to fear my silencing you or raising my hand over you. I’ve donned the virile toga long ago and since then, everyone has said, Valerius, take a wife, it is time. I have asked Venus and Apollo to lead me to my beloved and they have. I knew this when I first saw you.”

I am moved by his words and rather impressed. He lived up to my expectations and his small speech really established equality between us.

Next, he goes to lie down on the comfortably dressed bed, which is surrounded by thin veils. The moonlight comes in through the opening in the ceiling and as he stands in it, he really seems a god. As I follow, I do not fear this at all and even if this is to be my last night, I would regret nothing. Instead, I am filled with the most burning desire I have ever felt. It is a new and strong thing to feel, but I recognize it for what it is as my body shows its eagerness towards what would follow.

I join Lucius onto the bed and lay down beside him, our skins touching. His eyes are alight with desire, a cold blue sparkle in the semi-darkness of the room and he watches me for moments before guiding me to lie on my back and closing his lips over mine, softly coaxing me to open and allow him access. I have never been kissed before and this robs me of my ability to form even a single thought. All there is for me right now is his hot skin against mine, his strong body hovering over mine and his lips and hands caressing me.

Soon, he deepens the kiss and his hands travel lower down my body, over my breasts and further down. Soon, one of his knees rests between my legs and I can feel him harden against my hip.

Of course I do not imagine he has kept himself untouched until now, but then again, that is not what is expected of Roman men, especially the military. It is a known fact that anyone can take any lover they want, as long as they are not affecting their own or their lover’s good name. Lucius did say he did not take a wife until now, but he said nothing of the number and sort of lovers he has kept before me. Judging by the way he is making every part of me pulse and vibrate from his touch, I must thank all these hypothetical men and women.

His incredibly graceful hands slide over my body as if they’ve done nothing else but this. I can feel his formidable strength, which he is reining in carefully, when he could most likely snap me like a twig. Instead of scaring me, this excites me further and I find myself unable to remain passive, indulging in touching him back and feeling the softness of the glistening, fragrant skin stretched over rock-hard muscle.

I glance down at his manhood and I find myself half fearing, half desperately wanting him to be taking me already. He was daunting to begin with, but now I doubt he will ever fit inside me.

Meanwhile, he covers me in slow, greedy kisses, bringing every part of me to life. My breasts are a perfect fit in his hands and he leaves no patch of skin on me unmapped.

“This is going to hurt no matter how I go about it, but I will do everything in my power to make it a pleasant memory for you, my love.” He says, stopping to look deeply into my eyes, awaiting my reaction.

“I want to remember this for as long as I live. Go slowly, I want to feel everything that can be felt with you. I trust you, Lucius.” I give back.

My answer seems to be very much to his liking, or so the look in his eyes and his smile as he nods tell me. He kneels back onto his calves, spreading his legs and beckoning me to join him. I sit up and straddle him and still, he does not hurry. Instead, he takes his time to reach between us and stroke me as he kisses and sucks at my breasts. By the time he removes his fingers, I am trembling and begging.

He feels enormous just resting against my unused entrance, but I am excited like never before in my life and I desire him so, so much by now. My body is eagerly providing the needed wetness to help us.

Lucius breaches me slowly, and though my flesh being spread burns, feeling him enter me and my body adjusting to his girth are two very pleasurable sensations and I wish they would not end too soon.

“I’m sorry,” he says, resting his forehead on my shoulder. “I am sorry for causing you pain, my love.”

I am surprised to note that there is no actual pain, just a moment’s discomfort as the tight entrance gives in and he is allowed inside me. It is like nothing I have ever experienced and in that moment, I lose my heart completely to Lucius. But I am not afraid; I know he will keep it safe.

“There was no pain to be sorry for, my heart.” I speak, kissing his neck and feeling his pulse with my lips. The endearment flows naturally and I find myself amazed at my body’s innate wisdom telling it just how to move in unison with the stronger, male one it is joined to.

I wrap my legs around Lucius’ powerful hips and rest my arms onto his shoulders, allowing him access to all of me.

He begins to move, rolling his hips at first, then thrusting and bouncing me onto him, strong hands resting on my behind, fingers splayed out and digging into the flesh. I cannot understand how this much pleasure is allowed to us mortals, as right now it seems unbearably intense. I am making sounds I had never thought myself capable of, and his grunts and moans are so erotic, traveling straight to my heated depths, making me wetter and needier.

Soon, he moves effortlessly and stands, feet planted firmly apart on the floor and as I hold on to him, he plays with my breasts until I almost beg him to stop from how terribly intense the sensation is; at the same time I want him to carry on, needing more and not knowing how, if ever, our joining will come to an end.

His grip on me becomes tighter, his thrusts more forceful and I can only hold on as all control is taken from me. Lucius walks back to the bed and kneels onto it carefully, laying me down and sinking on top of me, his weight pressing me down into the mattress and driving his virile member deeper inside me.

I am long past any sense of shame or self-consciousness and I raise my legs to wrap them even tighter around my man’s powerful hips, locking him in and driving him deeper. He moans low in his throat and bites my neck hard. The pain is sharp and strong and it sends me spiraling into an explosion of sensation where every single one of my senses is overwhelmed. I am shaking, quivering, my inner muscles clenching tightly and rapidly around Lucius’ engorged length. I am crying out his name, hoping, for the love of all the gods, that he is taking as much pleasure from me as he is giving.

His thrusts become sharper, harder and soon his back arches and he looks down at me with cloudy, darkened blue eyes, letting out a small sound of surrender as his seed spills inside me, making me his for all time.

I feel so privileged to be allowed to gaze upon his beautiful face in these vulnerable moments. Tenderness fills me, making me guide him to lie back down on me as I hold him close, caressing him and raining small kisses on his heated skin.

Long moments pass in silence between us, and I feel happy and complete. Much later, Lucius lifts himself up and off of me. Now that we are not joined anymore, I feel empty and suddenly sad, turning questioning eyes to my mate.

He immediately comes to sit by me, gathering me in his arms. “It is always worse once it is over... but we can do this many, many times again. In time, the sadness becomes easier to bear.”

“I want you so much more now that I have had you.” I say simply, closing my eyes and breathing in his scent.

His lips catch mine in a loving, warm kiss and his arms slide under me, picking me up and carrying me to the marble pool inside his home. He lowers himself into the water, carefully laying me down onto the stairs which descend towards the deeper end of the pool. He fetches soaps and oils and he begins to wash and care for every last part of me, inside and out. He seems awed and he touches me so reverently, I am finding it hard to believe his hands are used to anything else than this.

Soon, I begin to return his favour, washing him as well, untangling his wet hair and redoing his braids. I cannot hold back and kiss him wherever I can reach. “Please Lucius, never cut your hair.” I whisper against his wet shoulder, licking a droplet of water off the skin, tracing it back up his neck and closing my lips over his pulse.

Once we are both sufficiently clean, we make the water dirty again; Lucius simply slides into me and takes me right where we stand. Luckily, his pool is built around a thermal spring which always renews the water.

The morning finds me pleasantly sore, but still craving him; he has had me several times after we left the pool and the only reason why he is not with me now is because he went to order our first meal of the day to be served.

As our rich food is brought before us, I get to learn a few things about Lucius. He has few slaves. He has offered to free every one of the slaves he inherited from his father. Some have accepted, but stayed to serve him, whereas others, more fearful of their changed status as freedmen, have chosen to remain in his household as slaves. He is very well loved by everyone and as he introduces me as their new domina, I can see the instant acceptance in their eyes.

Once the procession of his house servants is over, I turn to him, curious. “You have a very new way of running your estate. I like it.” I say.

“Perhaps it is because I was not born a Roman. I am adopted.” He says, as if that explains everything. And it does. “My mother and I fled from the Cold North and my adoptive father took pity on us and instead of treating us like prisoners and slaves, he married my mother and raised me as his own.”

(tbc)


	2. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new addition to the Valerius family raises some very legitimate questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The saeptia is a market. Ancient Rome had several markets for different kinds of goods and shops, and there were also the subura, small pockets of modest homes that were farthest from the center of the city. Here there were many local markets where slaves and freedmen did their shopping. The subura were dangerous places to get lost in, ruled by gangs and teeming with criminals. However, they can't have been all that bad since Julius Caesar lived there before he ascended to power.

Later, servants helped us both dress in exquisitely woven garments and we set off to the _saeptia_ near Campus Martius, the most expensive marketplace of Rome. Lucius assured me I could pick anything from there.

I spent a lot of time looking at things and fabrics, yet nothing caught my eye. I knew all the markets of Rome and their contents by heart. Since we were getting hungry, I asked Lucius if we could make a stop at one of the many places which served fresh food along the way.

As we made our way to a place Lucius knew and favoured, we passed by a courtyard where a man was whipping his slave. No doubt he intended to kill his slave this time, as his blows were merciless and harsh, tearing the meager flesh from the wretched man’s bones.

The slave raised his head in pain as one of the blows hit him all along his back. His eyes were a stormy grey and so deep and filled with sadness that I felt shaken to my very core. As I looked to Lucius, an instant understanding passed between us.

“Good man! I am Lucius Valerius Thurinus, general in our Empire’s army. What has this slave wronged you with?”

The man stopped and looked at my husband, bowing and greeting him. “This is a slave I have bought from the North who brings me no profit! He is too weak to fight, to plow the land, to cook or do any work. He does not sing, he does not play any instrument and he does not speak! And he is more unsightly than a barbarian’s furred rear! No one will buy him!”

“Would thirty gold pieces persuade you to sell him to me and my wife?” Lucius asked, producing the gold from among the folds of his toga. That is a lot of gold, more than most Romans see in their entire lifetime.

The man’s eyes widened. “O, general, I would very eagerly accept your gold, but you must know this slave is really useless. I do not wish to have you return to me and take my life for having sold you this wretch.”

“I give you my word.” Lucius said, towering above the man. “Now take your gold and leave me to run my household as I know best.”

The man did indeed take the gold and scurried off into the dark back streets of the saeptia.

Lucius went to the bloodied heap which was only barely recognizable as a human form, and turned the slave around gently. He was still breathing. “I have seen worse,” Lucius declared and, without a moment’s hesitation, his very expensive gold-lined cloak came off. Lucius wrapped the slave in it and effortlessly lifted him in his arms like the poor man was a child.

Once we were back home, I ordered the house servants to bring oil and salve and clean cloth, lots thereof. Lucius helped every step of the way, taking our rescued pet to the pool and washing him gently, uncaring that he was getting blood all over himself and his pool. Most Romans would judge us for having defiled our cleansing place with the blood of a slave.

My heart swelled in my chest as I watched my beloved extend his gentleness to this supposedly unimportant life. I removed my own garments and joined them into the pool, helping.

As the blood and grime washed away, they revealed a fair-skinned man with strawberry blond curls and an interesting scar pattern over his forehead, arms, chest, hips and thighs.

“He hails from the North as well.” Lucius said, tracing the scars with his fingers and frowning. “We have done battle with his people. Had we not been called back to Rome by Augustus himself, we would have been erased out of existence. An entire legion fought against these barbarians. They are a formidable people. Unseen, unheard, they move through the white landscape like ghosts and are completely fearless. For every one of them we managed to kill, seven or more of my men died. We caught none alive to take prisoner and thus learn about them. No one has seen their women, children or elderly. The neighbouring tribes fear them more than death and call them Frost Giants. They usually paint their skins blue when they go to war. I wonder what horrors this one has seen, if he no longer speaks even though he still has his tongue. You own him now, my love. You will decide over his fate.” He said.

I was rapt with curiosity. I love hearing tales of the other peoples our armies encountered. As a girl, I always annoyed my father to tell me what kind of peoples he had encountered in his campaigns, what their customs were, what gods they believed in, what language they spoke. I never wanted any gifts from his expeditions, just his tales.

Once we were done cleaning the man’s body of caked mud and his own blood, Lucius carried him to the small room next to our cubiculum, where his slaves had prepared a clean bed. He then ordered the slaves to bring food for all three of us.

We made ourselves comfortable in the atrium and feasted on the delicious foods we were served, feeding each other by gathering delicious bites and holding them up for the other to slip their lips around them. By the time we were full, Lucius lifted me in his arms and carried me to the pool, placing me onto the marble steps. His tunic was tented in a most revealing way, but he refused to take anything for himself before I was writhing and arching from his touch. He used nothing but his very skilled fingers to bring me to a begging state. This time, I knew what I was begging for, but it did not make the sensations any less exciting.

He played with me like this for what seemed like hours before he finally allowed himself some relief and took me. At this point, I was reduced to silence as his control over his own urges had proven itself formidable.

For a high-ranking Roman general, who is the Emperor’s confidant and who has it all before he even asks, Lucius is extremely generous, wise and humble. He is also a considerate lover, as he could very well take me without sparing a thought for my own comfort, which, in the absence of any preparation, would suffer at his hands, or rather, at his obscenely sized manhood. But I suppose he gets this from his Northern heritage, as well as his incredible stamina and passion between the sheets.

Soon though, as more days passed for me as the wife of general Lucius Valerius Thurinus, more and more of my husband’s character and habits were revealed to me. Instead of spending his days at the Forum, arguing and debating, or spending his fortune at gambling places along the Via Sacra, he spars alongside his men, he oversees the mending and making of uniforms and weapons, he reads strategy scrolls at the Imperial Palace Library and studies the great battles of old.

I have met our Emperor; Lucius and I were called to the palace especially so that Augustus would meet me. He is a pleasant man, he jokes and makes everyone feel at ease while at the same time imposing authority without effort.

The barbarian slave has been making a decent recovery, albeit a bit slow. As the wounds heal, I can see he is a handsome man, though very different from Roman male beauty standards.

Lucius has asked me to join him for training on several occasions and he was most impressed with my archery and dagger throwing skills. He said that, in the tradition of his people, I should know how to fight and not hesitate when it comes to slaying an enemy, while at the same time being a proud Roman woman, who is as heroic and honourable as any Roman man. I accepted, and many afternoons were spent at the sparring field, in a short, men’s tunic, sweating and bleeding alongside my husband and some of his men and sometimes even fighting him.

Lucius is a ruthless, formidable warrior, but he is not impulsive or overconfident. That is why he is a general at the age of thirty and most of his men have lived to come back safely from many missions. Except for that one campaign in the North where only a well-timed order from the Emperor saved them all from being erased from history scrolls. That little detail still lingers on my mind and I intend to do everything in my power to try and communicate with our new slave.

The slaves in our home are already whispering and wondering what would become of the strange man my husband’s gold bought us. They have never seen markings like the ones he has on his skin, nor have they seen men like him. He is lithe and muscular like a panther and taller than most Romans. Not taller than Lucius though.

They are also wondering what his work will be. I intend to find that out from him, one way or another. Something tells me that this strange man came to us for a reason.

At night, I sometimes think of him as Lucius claims me and I realize I still feel safe, even though, from my husband’s tales, his people are a deadly race. I am not someone who trusts without reason and I have never been wrong about the nature and character of men before.

Lucius himself does not worry, and he trusts me enough to oversee the healing of this man. Actually, he trusts me much more than that, as I have learned on the sparring field. We have become one mind in two bodies, and it shows best when we fight together. I love Lucius with all that I am and I would die for him.

 

(tbc)


End file.
